Adam: Le Corsaire (DVD) – English National Ballet

Composers: Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo, Prince Pyotr van Oldenburg, Ludwig Minkus, Yuly Gerber, Baron Boris Fitinhov-Schnell, Albert Zabel
Artists: Alina Cojocaru, Vadim Muntagirov, Erina Takahashi, Dmitri Gruzdyev, Junor Souza, Yonah Acosta, Michael Coleman, English National Ballet, Orchestra of English National Ballet
Conductor: Gavin Sutherland
Choregrapher: Anna-Marie Holmes, after Marius Petipa & Konstantin Sergeyev
Format: NTSC
Language: English
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of Discs: 1
Studio: Opus Arte
DVD Release Date: April 28, 2015
Run Time: 100 minutes

Set in the Ottoman Empire and with a narrative of abduction, murder and shipwreck, Le Corsaire is a swashbuckling pirate drama that delights for its spectacular nature and which includes some of the most bravura male dancing in the ballet repertoire. In this English National Ballet production – the first British staging of the work – former-ballerina-turned-choreographer Anna-Marie Holmes adapts the 1974 Petipa-Sergeyev Kirov version to create “brisk, stylish entertainment” (Guardian) that is visually enhanced by Hollywood designer Bob Ringwood’s “superb” (Daily Telegraph) sets and costumes.

First-rate dancing by the company and its soloists – including Alina Cojocaru’s “radiant performance” as Medora (Independent), Yonah Acosta’s “vividly drawn and villainous” Birbanto (Financial Times) and Vadim Muntagirov’s “compelling” (Daily Telegraph) portrayal of Conrad – underscores the “roaring, madcap success” (Financial Times) of this production.

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